


'cause the stars said so

by fallingforboys



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Based on a song, Corey Bryant & Theo Raeken Friendship, Good Theo Raeken, Liam Dunbar is Theo Raeken's Anchor, M/M, McCall Pack, Post-Canon, Puppy Pack (Teen Wolf), Theo Raeken Needs a Hug, Theo Raeken is Liam Dunbar's Anchor, Theo Raeken-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-18 05:01:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29238000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallingforboys/pseuds/fallingforboys
Summary: Theo didn’t plan on going to the hospital. One minute he was getting ready to ditch the hell on Earth that was Beacon Hills, and the next he was in the elevator going up, praying that Liam wasn’t dead.
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Comments: 18
Kudos: 165





	'cause the stars said so

**Author's Note:**

> I heard "the stars" by chelsea cutler today, and the first thing I thought of was thiam, so here you go!
> 
> hope you guys like it!

•••

_I don't know where you start or where I end_

_I don't know when enough's enough_

•••

Theo didn’t plan on going to the hospital. One minute he was getting ready to ditch the hell on Earth that was Beacon Hills, and the next he was in the elevator going up, praying that Liam wasn’t dead. 

And when the doors opened and he saw all those guns pointed at Liam, his body moved without thinking, threw away all the fucks he gave about everything else, just grabbed the beta and _pulled_. 

And when the doors closed, Liam was still in his arms, until Theo pulled away, though his heart was waging a war with his mind to move closer. Liam was confused, _of course_ he was confused, why would Theo Raeken, the chimera of death, save Liam from his? 

Why?

But Theo shoved that thought to the side, and he told Liam exactly what he was thinking, and it was a lie, but he still said it, and he controlled his heartbeat, but he could still hear Liam’s.

And it skipped a beat when he repeated Theo’s words back to him. 

And Theo’s skipped a beat in response.

But if Liam picked up on it, he was either too nice to comment on it, or he just didn’t care enough (and Theo _knew_ it was the latter, but he didn’t want to think about that). 

The doors opened, and they fought, fought like two sides of the same coin, fought like magnets, pushing and pulling like they were bound by some invisible force, never letting the other get too far. 

And when it finally ended, Theo hadn’t planned on taking Gabe’s pain. But all he saw when he stared at the kid was himself, begging Scott, Liam, _anyone_ to save him from hell. No one did that day. But he could help Gabe.

And he _did_. 

_You can’t take pain if you don’t care_. 

Mason had told him that, back in the tunnels, when he tried to take it from him. And maybe, back then, part of him was still just trying to save his own ass, but the other part? It _cared_. Maybe it had only been the tiniest sliver of his heart, but he _did_. And Mason couldn’t pick up on chemosignals, and Theo had never been more grateful that he got put on the team with the human, because he couldn’t control them then. Couldn’t control the anger and the frustration and the hint of _I fucking care_. 

He could control them now. He didn’t really want to.

He stayed there, staring at Gabe, staring at the _boy_ who got caught on the wrong side of the war, got too tempted by power, too tempted by _control_. He stared, and stared, and stared. 

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he _flinched_. His pulse spiked before he could control it and he knew Liam and Corey probably picked up on it, but the hand on his shoulder didn’t belong to either of them. 

Theo angled his head to see Mason, looking down at him with his lips turned down, understanding shining in his eyes. And in that moment, Theo knew why Mason was Liam’s best friend. He _understood_ , even with no words spoken, he understood. 

Mason held his gaze, until Theo felt the burn of _something_ in the back of his eyes, and he looked away. Back at Gabe. A shaky breath left his mouth, and he started to stand up, but his knees were too weak, and Mason moved to steady him. He didn’t deserve that.

“Theo,” Liam’s voice was deafening in his ears, like it was the only sound that was important, the only thing that mattered. But Theo couldn’t deal with it. Couldn’t see if there was pity or hatred or _you saw yourself in him, didn’t you_ on his face. 

So Theo did what he does best. 

He ran. 

•••

_I don't know how to sleep in a cold bed_

_I'm trying not to think so much_

•••

The preserve was quiet tonight. There was the occasional snapped branch or rustling of leaves, but other than that, it was quiet. 

And Theo didn’t know if he hated it or craved it. 

On one hand, it was comforting in a way. After the guns and the shouting and the fighting (and the _Theo_ and the _I’m not dying for you_ ), the silence of the preserve was what he needed. To give him the peace of mind that he needed after everything that happened today. 

But it didn’t give him peace of mind. It made it _worse_. 

Because in the silence, all he could do was _think_. 

Think about everything he didn’t want to think about, and he wanted his mind to turn off, but that wasn’t possible when Theo was in his truck, desperately trying to keep himself warm in the bitter cold. Because he couldn’t sleep. 

He never could. 

Most nights it was nightmares, but tonight was different. 

Tonight, all Theo could think about was a certain blue-eyed beta that had crept under his skin, pulled back every layer of armor he had carefully built, and _stayed there_. Because this wasn’t supposed to happen. He wasn’t supposed to get attached, wasn’t supposed to _care_ , wasn’t supposed to fall in lo–

No. 

Theo didn’t let himself finish that thought. But he still couldn’t stop _thinking_.

Thinking about why Scott called _him_ to help Liam. Why Liam’s heart stuttered when he repeated those words, those words that echoed in Theo’s mind right now. Why they seemed to fight so well together, why it almost felt like they were two halves of a whole in that moment. 

And there were whispers, telling him the answers, some that he didn’t want to acknowledge, some that he _knew_ weren’t true, and his brain knew that, but a small part of his heart didn’t want to believe it. 

But he had to. He _had_ to believe it, because it was true. Because despite everything he had just been thinking about, there were a lot of things that he had pushed away.

Like the fact that he manipulated, and tortured, and _killed_. The fact that he _used_ Liam against Scott, then finished the job himself. The fact that Tracy and Josh were dead, because _he_ craved power, craved _control_. The fact that Tara was dead, and there was nothing Theo could do to bring her back. 

The fact that he was a murderer, and he would _always_ be a murderer, no matter what he did to try and make up for his mistakes. 

Theo didn’t sleep often, didn’t sleep _at all_ really, most nights. He was used to the cold, used to the rolling of his stomach (because he hadn’t had an actual meal in days, and Theo didn’t really know how he even fought tonight, cause he should probably be dead by now, or at least passed out in a ditch somewhere), used to the blood on his chest when he got too lost in thought and unconsciously pressed his claws above his heart. 

He was used to it, he was _fucking_ used to it. 

He felt the burning in his eyes again, but he shut it down. Shut it down like he always did, and _of course_ it wasn’t healthy, but when did Theo ever do _anything_ that was healthy? He was death on legs, physically _and_ metaphorically, and so he would shut his emotions down because he didn’t want to deal with them. 

And so he was back to thinking. He tried not to, and it worked for about ten seconds, before the silence in his head and the silence in the preserve were too fucking loud and he started thinking again. 

_I’m not dying for you_. 

He had said that, didn’t he? And Liam didn’t know it was a lie, because Theo didn’t _let_ him know it was a lie, but it fucking _was_. 

It was the biggest lie Theo had probably ever told. Because he _would_. In a fucking heartbeat, if it meant that the beta would be alive, would be able to wake up unharmed another day. If it meant that Liam could be happy, because not dying typically makes you happy, and so Theo would die for Liam in a fucking _heartbeat_. 

At least he could admit that to himself. In the darkness of the truck, in the silence that was too loud, he could admit it. 

He tried not to think so much.

It didn’t work.

•••

_"Maybe I want your love forever," is that so bad to say?_

_Maybe we're meant to be together if God had his way_

_And if you ask why I stayed and I'll stay for all I know_

_It's 'cause the stars said so, it's 'cause the stars said so_

•••

Theo was an atheist. 

He’s said it over and over and over again. But sometimes, like right now, when he’s sitting in his truck in front of Scott’s house, not going in because he was somewhere in between _I don’t want to deal with this shit_ and _I’m too scared they’ll kill me if I go_ , he thought about it. 

Thought about _what if there was_. If there was someone up there that was watching over him, watching over everything he did. If there was, he knew he definitely wasn’t on his good side. 

But he wondered if that didn’t matter sometimes. Wondered if it was enough that he was trying, trying to be better, trying to fix his mistakes, just _trying_. Because if that was enough, maybe he could say what he really wanted to. Tell Liam that–

No. 

Theo didn’t let himself finish that thought.

He eventually got out of his truck, because as much as he wanted to stay in the comfort of his truck, he knew he couldn’t. So he got out, and dragged his feet to the front door. He lifted his hand to knock, but his hand had barely touched the door when it opened, and he found himself staring at an angry Liam. 

“Lia–”

“Shut _up_ ,” the beta hissed, grabbing his arm with a tight grip, and Theo could feel his claws starting to poke out, as he hauled him into the living room where the rest of the pack was. 

Mason gave Theo a small wave when he saw the chimera, and Theo was _so confused_ , because what the fuck was _happening_ , but he acknowledged the human with a nod. 

“Theo, where were you last night?” Scott asked, his voice gentle, but Theo could hear the annoyance underneath. Probably because he ran off without telling anyone– they were probably scared that he ran away or turned evil again or something. 

“I just needed to drive for a bit,” Theo answered, keeping his voice, heart, chemosignals all steady. “Clear my head.”

“Where’d you sleep?” Lydia asked, and it was an innocent enough question, but Theo’s blood chilled. He had hoped they didn’t know, but apparently they _did_. Which meant that they had just been ignoring it all this time, probably thinking that he deserved it. Which, when Theo thought about it, was _fair_. But it still _hurt_.

“Why does that matter?” Theo retorted.

“Answer the fucking question, Theo,” Liam snarled from next to him, and Theo’s head whipped to the beta. Why was he _mad?_

Theo exhaled, his eyes flicking to Stiles once before moving them to the wall across from him, avoiding everyone’s gaze. “My truck.”

He felt the werewolf next to him shift, and before he could even process what was happening, Theo felt his nose crack. “What the _fuck_ , Liam?”

Liam didn’t look sorry. Instead, he let out a growl and stepped closer to Theo. “You’ve been back for _months_ , and you didn’t think to _tell us?_ What the fuck is _wrong_ with you?”

Theo felt his nose shifting back into place, and he wiped the blood on his hands on his shirt before standing up straight again. He could feel the pack’s eyes on him, could feel their irritation and… _guilt?_ Did they feel _guilty_ about this?

“Do _not_ make a big deal out of this,” Theo warned the pack, but his hands were shaking, and he wanted it to stop, but they _wouldn’t_. “I don’t want your pi–”

Theo’s nose was broken again. 

“Liam, for _fuck’s sake_ , what the _fuck?_ ” Theo barked out, whirling around to face the beta, who was shaking out his hand. “Stop _punching_ me!”

“ _No_ ,” Liam emphasized, just as loud. “‘Don’t make a big deal out of this?’ Really, Theo? You’re _homeless_ and you didn’t tell us! We’re your _pack!_ ”

Theo faltered, before his face hardened again. He was sure his chemosignals were all over the place right now, but he couldn’t bother with controlling them now. “You’ve made it clear that I’m not pack, and I don’t want to be pitied into it, Liam.” He looked at the pack, who had all stayed silent as he and Liam fought. “If you called me here to debrief, I’m sure Liam can fill you in, he was there too. If you need anything else, you have my number.”

He turned around to walk out the door and put his hand on the doorknob when he froze.

“So you’re leaving?” Liam called out, and Theo could smell that he was still _furious._ “Just like that?”

“What do you _want_ me to do, Liam?” Theo yelled, twisting back around and walking a few steps toward the beta. He was getting tired of this, he was hungry and exhausted, and he needed sleep, but he knew that he wouldn’t get any anytime soon. And getting food was a laughable concept. “What do you _want_ from me?”

“Why did you stay?” Liam’s voice was quiet, and the room stilled, and Theo could feel his heart skip a beat, but he ignored it. “Why did you stay all those times?” And the beta was getting louder, his voice rising with every word. “Why did you _stay_ and help? You don’t think you’re pack, you don’t think you have anything here, so _why did you stay?_ Why were you at the hospital? Why did you come when you didn’t need to? Why did y–”

“Because of _you!_ ” 

The air was sucked out of the room at Theo’s scream. Theo didn’t mean for that to come out, shit, this wasn’t supposed to happen. _Fuck_ , he just messed everything up.

“I– if you need anything else, just… call me,” Theo stuttered, because he just screwed up. Liam wasn’t supposed to know that, the _pack_ wasn’t supposed to know that. He stumbled towards the door, but he felt someone move behind him, and just as he opened it an inch, it was slammed shut. 

Liam shoved him back, and Theo almost fell on his ass, but he caught himself just in time. He lifted his head and staggered back a few more steps at the pure _rage_ on Liam’s face. And the pack was still all there, he could sense their eyes, but all he could focus on was Liam. 

“If you try to leave _one more time_ , I’m gonna break your nose again,” Liam seethed, his fists clenched at his sides. “Now, shut the fuck up and _listen_.”

Theo opened his mouth to say _something_ but snapped it shut at Liam’s glare. The beta took a step closer, and Theo took a subtle one back. Okay, _yeah_ , it was childish, but Liam had already punched him _twice_ , and he wasn’t keen on repeating what had happened at the zoo. He was also kind of scared that if he got too close, he’d give into his urge to move closer and Theo didn’t need that. _Couldn’t_ need that. 

“You are an _asshole_ ,” Liam began, and Theo almost snorted, because that summed up the chimera _pretty_ well. “You helped us with the Ghost Riders, and the war, and all the shit that’s happened in the last few months, and you still think you’re not _pack?_ ”

Well, that’s not where Theo had been expecting that to go. “Liam, I already told yo–”

“Shut up.” Theo closed his mouth again, and Liam continued. “You stopped me from killing Nolan and Gabe, you’ve saved my life probably ten times by now, and you _don’t_ _think you’re pack?_ ” Liam stepped closer, but this time, Theo didn’t step back. “You deserve to be homeless.”

Theo _flinched_. His whole body caving on itself, because _fuck_ , that hurt. He knew that’s what the pack had thought, but hearing _Liam_ say it out loud pressed in on his chest. And he had completely given up on controlling his chemosignals, so he knew the whole pack _knew_.

“That’s what you thought we’d say, didn’t you?” Liam asked, his eyes flashing at Theo’s reaction. “You thought we wouldn’t _care_ that you were living in your truck? That we thought you _deserved_ it?”

Oh. So Liam _didn’t_ think that? “Uh…” Theo glanced at Stiles again, because _hadn’t he known?_ His dad’s deputies were the ones who kept finding him, and he thought Stiles always knew what was happening at the station. 

“I didn’t know,” Stiles interrupted, his voice hard. “I know what you’re thinking, but I didn’t know, and neither did my dad. We wouldn’t leave you like that, wouldn’t leave _anyone_ like that.”

Oh. The pack _genuinely_ hadn’t known until yesterday. “Um,” Theo looked at the floor, clenching his jaw, before meeting Liam’s eyes again. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

Liam’s hand twitched at his side, like he was about to raise it again, and Theo took another step back, only to realize that he had reached the wall. _Great._

And then his stomach rolled. _Fuck._ Theo knew that the nausea would catch up to him at some point, but this _really_ wasn’t the time. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t have control over his body like that. He felt a little lightheaded, and put his hands on the wall behind him, trying to catch his breath and not fall over, because that would be _embarrassing_. The whole pack was here, and he didn’t need them seeing this shit. 

“Theo, are you ok–”

He cut Mason off. “M’fine.”

Something in his stomach twisted. Okay, yeah, he wasn’t fine. But he wasn’t letting the pack know that.

“Theo, sit down, you look like you’re about to pass out,” Scott cut in, and Theo wanted to protest, but he really didn’t have the ability to at the moment, and he took one step towards the alpha. His vision blurred at the edges, but he kept walking, feeling a hand on his shoulder guide him to the couch. “Theo, when was the last time you ate?”

He snorted. “Pass.”

“Theo…” Liam’s voice held a warning, and Theo was pretty sure it would mean another broken nose, so he sighed. 

“I don’t know, I think I had something before going to the hospital yesterday.”

Which wasn’t true, but whatever. And then, apparently Theo tuned out. Not on purpose, he hadn’t even known that he _did_ until someone was shaking his shoulder, and he blinked to see Liam waving a hand in front of his face, his expression panicked. “What?”

“I think he just like, fainted sitting up,” Stiles whispered, and Theo blinked again. He had fainted? Apparently the not eating thing was worse than he thought. Well, he also hadn’t gone _this_ long without eating before.

Theo had trouble focusing on what the pack was saying, but the next thing he knew, he had a plate of pasta in his hands. 

“Eat.” Melissa was kneeling next to him, her hand on his forehead. She looked worried, and Theo wanted to _laugh_ , because why was _she_ worried about _him?_ But another wave of nausea stopped his thoughts. “Theo, you need to eat.”

He raised a shaky hand as he put the pasta in his mouth, slowly eating. The food was kind of making him more nauseous, but Theo knew he needed to eat to stop it. The pack had all turned to their own conversations, and Theo heard his name a couple of times, but he was too exhausted to try and listen in. He eventually finished eating, and Melissa took his plate, saying she’d be back with some Gatorade. The room fell silent as the nurse exited. 

“You guys clearly want to say something, so get on with it,” Theo said, rolling his eyes. _Okay,_ that hadn’t been a good idea, Theo thought, as he felt his head sway a little before he got it back in control. 

Before the pack said anything, though, Liam dropped down on Theo’s side, pushing the sleeve of Theo’s shirt up before wrapping a hand around his wrist. Theo immediately felt some of the nausea go away, and he looked down to see black lines snaking up Liam’s arm. 

“You don’t have to do that,” Theo said, but Liam gave him a hard glare.

“Shut up.”

“Theo,” Scott’s voice cut in, and the chimera turned back to the rest of the pack. “Why didn’t you tell us? We would’ve helped.”

“I didn’t think you would.” And yeah, it was blunt, and Theo heard more than saw Scott’s teeth grind together at the implication, but it was the truth. He didn’t think the McCall pack would help him after what he did to them, and he couldn’t blame them. “After what I did, you had no reason to help me, Scott.”

“That doesn’t mean we wanted you _dead!_ ” the alpha hissed, and Theo’s mouth tightened. 

“Where do you _think_ you sent me last year, huh?” Theo snarled, because of _course_ they wanted him dead. Back then, they _did_. “On vacation with my sister?”

“We didn’t kill you,” Scott said in a strained voice, and Theo knew that he was trying to hold back his anger.

“I wish you _did_.” Theo wasn’t controlling his body anymore, and the pack knew that because the room was suddenly _too_ quiet. 

His heart hadn’t skipped. Liam’s grip on his wrist tightened. 

“Theo–”

“No.” Theo’s voice was steady, cutting Scott’s off. “I’m not telling you so you feel guilty, or pity me. I’m telling you because it’s the truth. And I don’t want to talk about it, so _don’t_.”

“You can’t just say that and _not_ talk ab–”

“Yes, I can,” Theo interrupted Stiles, turning his gaze to the human. “I’m not telling you what happened, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Theo, _please_ ,” Liam whispered from next to him. “We just want to _help_.”

“You can’t,” Theo stated. This was on _him_ , and it always would be. His nightmares were _his_ burden to carry, a result of _his_ actions. “You can’t help me with this, and I don’t need you to. So _drop it_.”

“No.” This was a new voice, and it took Theo a second to realize it was Corey. “We’re not gonna _drop it_ just because you want us to. Theo, look around you. None of us are trying to extort something out of you, we’re not creating files on you. We’re your _pack_ , and we want to help.”

Extort something out of you. Creating files on you. Things that _Theo_ did do, back then. “Corey–”

“You were the shittiest alpha in the _world_ ,” the other chimera interjected, “You didn’t care about us, just used us at your convenience, for our powers. But that’s not you anymore, Theo. Stop _running_ from us.”

“That _is_ me!” Theo growled, “I’m still Theo, I’m still the one who did all those things, still the one who killed all those people. I’m still _me_.”

“But you’ve changed,” Stiles said suddenly, and Theo was taken aback. Stiles was the _last_ person he expected to say that, except for maybe Malia. “You took pain yesterday, didn’t you? You can’t do that unless you care. And you went to Liam at the hospital, even though you were thinking of leaving when Scott called.”

Theo didn’t even bother being surprised at how Stiles knew that. The human had a way of knowing pretty much _everything_. Stiles kept talking, his eyes focused on the chimera. “You’re still Theo, and you always will be. What you did isn’t something we can just _forget_. But we can forgive.”

“You don’t need to forgive me,” Theo snapped, irritated. “ _I_ don’t for–”

He broke off. Yet another thing that wasn’t supposed to come out of his mouth that did today. 

“You don’t forgive yourself,” Lydia finished for him gently, her head tilted as she stared. “Doesn’t that show you that you’ve changed, Theo?”

He opened his mouth, then hesitated. The words he had wanted to say vanished from his mind, and he didn’t know what to say anymore. 

“You took his pain yesterday,” Mason said abruptly, and Theo turned to him. “He was our enemy, he shot at you, but you _still took his pain_. If that doesn’t show that you’ve changed…”

“You came to the hospital,” Liam added quietly, his hand still around Theo’s wrist, even though he wasn’t siphoning his pain anymore. “You came because Scott told you _I_ needed help, and if you hadn’t come when you did, I’d probably be dead. You _care_.”

“That wasn’t for the pack,” Theo retorted, but froze when he realized what he just implied. _Shit_.

Despite the tense conversation, Liam’s lips quirked up, and the tips of Theo’s ears reddened. But the beta didn’t say anything, and Scott caught Theo’s attention again.

“Theo, why do you think I asked you to go to the hospital yesterday?”

“Because you needed someone to do it?” Theo answered, his brows furrowed. 

“Because I _knew_ you’d go. No matter what happened before, no matter what you did, I knew that you’d _changed_ , and that you would go to the hospital,” the alpha stated firmly, and Theo’s jaw almost dropped. He hadn’t been the last option? Scott had actually _trusted_ him to help Liam?

Liam’s hand tightened, as if he knew what Theo was thinking. Though he probably _did_ , Theo’s chemosignals probably gave away _everything_. 

Malia let out a noise of… _something_. “You’re not horrible anymore.” Theo turned to her, expecting her to say something else, but her arms were crossed over her chest, and her face was blank as she stared at him. Well, it was at least better than her constant glaring. 

Melissa pushed off the wall she had been leaning against, the Gatorade in her hands, but Theo guessed she hadn’t wanted to interrupt the conversation. She sat on Theo’s other side, giving him the drink, then putting a hand on his shoulder, and it was… comforting. “You’ve made a lot of mistakes in the past, Theo, but so have a lot of people in this pack. If you need proof, my boyfriend tried killing my son.”

Theo snorted, his eyes flickering to Argent, whose cheek twitched. Melissa rubbed his back, and he turned back to her. “We know how to forgive, we’ve done it over and over again. You’ve changed, Theo, and you’re part of the pack. Stop trying to run away when you don’t need to. This is your home, and you don’t need to leave.”

Theo was silent for a few moments, taking in everything the pack had said in the last ten minutes. They weren’t lying, Theo knew that, but it still all felt a little surreal. That the pack he had tried to destroy and tear apart was telling him he was part of it, that their home was his home. 

“Okay.” The one word echoed in the room, and if anyone noticed that Theo’s voice had quivered a little at the end of the word, they didn’t say anything.

“You won’t try to leave?” Scott asked, his eyes narrowing at the chimera. 

“No,” Theo answered, and for the first time in his life, he was answering the question truthfully. “I won’t.”

Scott nodded, satisfied. “You’re staying here, we have the extra room. Don’t bother arguing, we already decided.”

“ _When?_ ” Theo asked incredulously, trying to hide his surprise. 

“When you were so nauseous that you couldn’t even sit up,” Liam snapped at him, and Theo winced a little at the tone. Clearly the beta was still mad at him. 

Liam suddenly stood up. “Get up.” 

Theo stared at him, not moving. The beta grabbed his arm and _yanked_ , and Theo stumbled a little as he was forced to stand, but Liam kept his hand around his arm, holding him steady.

“What are you _doing?_ ” the chimera choked out as Liam started dragging him towards the stairs. 

“You need sleep, and you clearly won’t unless someone makes you,” the beta said curtly, and Theo turned back to the pack, who he thought would be saying _something_ , but they all look sort of… amused? 

_Because of you!_

Oh. Right. Theo had said that, and now the whole pack kind of knew of his feelings for Liam. 

He was pulled up the stairs, his feet struggling not to miss any steps as Liam kept his grip tight around his arm. The werewolf shoved open the door to what Theo guessed might be his room soon, and pushed Theo onto the bed. 

Liam stood there, staring at Theo, and the chimera shifted uneasily. “Are you gonna watch me sleep? Because that’s a level of creepy that even _I_ find weird.”

The beta rolled his eyes, before yanking his shoes off. “Take your shirt off.”

Theo’s eyes almost popped out of his head. “ _What?_ ”

“Your shirt. It’s bloody. I’ll get you another one.”

Oh, right. “That was _your_ fault by the way. No one made you punch me twice in the nose.”

Liam opened the closet, grabbing the first shirt he could find, probably one of Scott’s old ones, and threw it at Theo. “Don’t be a dumbass, and I won’t punch you.”

“I didn’t even _do_ anything!” Theo protested as he took his shoes off. 

“That was the problem, yes,” Liam said, “Good to know you finally understand.”

Theo huffed in frustration before lying down in the middle of the bed and closing his eyes. He felt a finger jab his side, and he jerked up, scowling at the werewolf. 

“Scoot over,” Liam whispered, and Theo rolled his eyes before complying. They were both on their backs, their shoulders brushing, and if Theo moved his leg just a _centimeter_ to the left, their thighs would be too. “You really mean what you said downstairs?”

Theo played dumb. “What?”

Liam exhaled, like he knew what Theo was doing. “Your reason for staying.”

The chimera stiffened, his shoulders tensing up. But he was tired of lying. “Yeah.”

“You’re my anchor,” Liam said after a few seconds, and Theo turned his head to look at the beta. His eyes were open, staring at the ceiling, his chest rising and falling steadily. “I figured it out yesterday, in the elevator. When I said I wouldn’t die for you.”

“I would.” Theo’s confession was quiet, but it was deafening in the dark room. 

“I don’t want you to die for me,” Liam said softly, “Just stay with me instead.”

Theo took a deep breath, and if his leg accidentally shifted to the left in the process, well, he didn’t move it back. “I think I can do that.”

The chimera could _hear_ Liam’s grin. The beta’s hand moved under the covers, and grabbed Theo’s, intertwining their fingers. 

“You know they probably all heard this entire conversation, right?” Liam announced, as if he just realized.

Theo stifled a snort. “Yeah, I know. Nosy motherfuckers.”

He heard an offended _hey_ from downstairs, and he and Liam snickered.

•••

_I like the way that I look in your sweatshirt_

_And being told I am enough_

•••

Theo blinked his eyes open. The sun was _right_ in his eyes, and he squinted, trying to remember where he was. Why did it feel like he was on a bed?

Oh. Everything from yesterday rushed back to him, and he had to take a second to sort through all of it. Liam punching him, him kind of fainting from nausea, the pack trying to convince him that he’s changed, Scott offering him a room here, Liam’s fingers intertwined with his. 

Huh. That all actually happened, it hadn’t just been a crazy dream.

Liam wasn’t next to him anymore, so Theo guessed that the beta was already downstairs. He slowly got up and entered the bathroom, surprised to see a brand new toothbrush and a set of clothes. They really _did_ mean what they said yesterday. When he pulled on the sweatshirt after a quick shower, he suddenly picked up on the scent. 

_Liam_. This was _Liam’s_ sweatshirt. Theo froze, debating whether he should take it off, when he realized that the scent had helped him calm down unconsciously. _Anchors_ , right. Theo didn’t take the sweatshirt off.

By the time he walked downstairs, he heard the bustling kitchen, filled with the pack as they ate breakfast, talking about random shit, just being a _pack_ after the shitshow they went through two days ago. Theo entered the kitchen, his eyes immediately landing on Liam, whose lips tilted up at seeing his sweatshirt on Theo. 

Something hit the back of his head and he yelped. He whipped around to see Stiles with his hand a few inches from his head. 

“That’s for calling us nosy motherfuckers last night,” the human stated, before going back to his food. 

“Even if all the supernaturals aren’t, because they sometimes _can’t_ _help it_ ,” Theo retorted, “You _are_ , because the only way you’d know I said that is if you asked someone that could hear us.”

Stiles waved him off, and Corey handed him a bowl of cereal. “Eat.”

Theo gave the other chimera a weird look, but grabbed the bowl and dropped down on the chair next to Liam. 

“It looks good on you,” the beta whispered, leaning in, but it was kind of pointless because everyone could hear it anyway.

Theo’s cheeks darkened, and he heard multiple people in the room snicker. “Shut up,” he mumbled, bringing a spoonful of cereal up to his mouth. 

“I was just giving you a compliment,” Liam said defensively, and Theo turned to him, and he couldn’t hold back his smile at the pout on the werewolf’s face.

“You’re like actually smiling,” Mason cut in, his eyes wide as he stared at Theo, “Like a _soft_ smile, oh my _god_.”

Theo’s cheeks burned even more, and he felt Liam intertwine their fingers under the table, which only caused him to blush more. 

“They’re holding hands under the table, aren’t they?” Stiles asked, and Corey leaned over the table. Liam tightened his grip, not letting Theo pull away.

“Yep,” he confirmed, and Theo groaned. He just wanted to eat his cereal in peace, dammit. 

“Get used to it,” Scott told Theo with a grin, “They love embarrassing people, it’s their favorite hobby.”

“They need to get a new hobby,” the chimera muttered under his breath, but his hand stayed tangled with Liam’s the whole time they were in the kitchen. 

A couple of hours later, the pack had spread out around the house, not really wanting to leave the comfort that _pack_ gave them. And Theo finally understood it too, it was like a scent in the air, a distinct feeling of being safe, being protected. He was in the bedroom upstairs– his room, he corrected– laying on the bed, just thinking, when he felt the door push open. He knew who it was before he even opened his eyes, and he felt something in him settle when he felt Liam lie down next to him, his scent drifting over to Theo. 

“I wasn’t lying, the sweatshirt really does look good on you.”

Theo turned his head towards the beta. “You want one of mine in return?”

“You’d do that?” Liam’s eyes were wide as he stared at the chimera.

“I think I made my feelings pretty clear yesterday, Liam,” Theo sighed. “I know you probably don’t feel the same way, but–”

“What in the world makes you think I don’t feel the same way?” Liam asked him incredulously. “I literally fell asleep holding your hand last night, and held it again today during breakfast.”

“I– I thought it was just like a… a comfort thing. Like what people in a pack do.”

Liam snorted. “Sorry to disappoint, but I don’t hold Stiles’ hand daily because we’re pack. That wasn’t a comfort thing, well, _yes_ , it was a comfort thing, but it was also more than that. You really didn’t know that?”

Theo exhaled slowly, one of his hands going up to his hair to run through it. “I… I did, I guess. Just didn’t want to believe it, cause you deserve better than me.”

He felt Liam’s anger flare up. “Stop _saying_ that, Theo. I don’t deserve better than you, and you don’t deserve to feel like shit for the rest of your life. I like _you_ ,” and Theo’s breath hitched at the confession, because Liam hadn’t actually _said_ it till now, “You’re not perfect, but I’m not either. No one is, not even _Scott_. I like you the way you are, so stop saying I deserve better than you, because it’s _not true_.”

Theo sucked in a breath, because Liam’s words hit him _hard_. And for the first time, _he_ grabbed _Liam’s_ hand, and the werewolf grinned at the action. 

“You think Scott heard me say he wasn’t perfect?”

Theo let out a short laugh, squeezing Liam’s hand. “He definitely did. Might want to watch your back for the next few days.”

Liam hummed. “But I’ll have you to watch it for me.”

“Hmm, I might accidentally look away,” Theo teased, and Liam smacked his arm with his other hand. “But I’ll kiss it better after.”

Liam smirked, turning his head so that they were inches apart. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” Theo breathed out, shifting just a little so that their breaths mingled, but there was still a little gap between their lips.

Liam squeezed his hand once, and leaned in to close the gap. Theo closed his eyes, kissing the beta back just as hard. He felt his heart skip a beat at the sensation, and he welcomed it. If this was what it felt like kissing Liam, Theo never wanted to _stop_. 

But they broke apart eventually, gasping for air. They stayed close, their foreheads almost touching, until the door slammed open.

“So, funny story,” Scott said with a smirk, his eyes twinkling. “I heard _my beta_ say I, his _alpha_ , wasn’t perfect. You guys know anything about that?”

Liam jumped up, pulling Theo with him, and shoved the chimera in front of him, like a bodyguard. “You’ll have to go through Theo to get to me.”

“I think I’m the one that’s supposed to say that line,” Theo said sarcastically, giving Liam a dry look.

Liam pecked him on the lips, before Theo could even process it. “Thanks for volunteering, Theo.”

“I didn’t even–”

Kiss.

“Are you just gonna use that to shut m–”

Kiss. 

“Liam, for fuck’s sa–”

Theo gave up. He pushed Liam back onto the bed, leaning into the kiss. He hoped Scott left, because he was definitely not paying attention to the alpha anymore. 

Just Liam. 

•••

_"Maybe I want your love forever," is that so bad to say?_

_Maybe we're meant to be together if God had his way_

_And if you ask why I stayed and I'll stay for all I know_

_It's 'cause the stars said so, it's 'cause the stars said so_

•••


End file.
